RACK1 is an organ-specific prognostic predictor in OSCC.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a significant global health concern.
• Identifying reliable prognostic markers is crucial for improving patient outcomes in OSCC.
• Receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1) is a protein with potential roles in cancer progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether RACK1 serves as an organ-specific prognostic predictor in patients diagnosed with OSCC.
• To evaluate the association between RACK1 expression levels and patient survival in OSCC.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess RACK1 expression in 342 OSCC patients across three independent cohorts.
• Cox proportional hazards regression models were employed to determine multivariate hazard ratios for Overall Survival (OS).
• RACK1 expression and its correlation with OS were further analyzed in TCGA datasets for both OSCC (as HNSCC) and other multiple organ carcinomas.

Main Results:

• High RACK1 expression was observed in a majority of OSCC tumors (61.4%–68.2%) across the cohorts.
• Elevated RACK1 levels were significantly associated with worse OS (HR ranging from 0.4402 to 0.5995, P < 0.05) in OSCC patients.
• These findings were consistent with analyses of TCGA Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) data and multi-organ carcinoma studies.

Conclusions:

• RACK1 is a validated independent organ-specific prognostic predictor for the risk of mortality in OSCC.
• The study highlights RACK1 as a potential biomarker for risk stratification in oral cancer management.
• Further research may explore therapeutic strategies targeting RACK1 in OSCC.